Wayne Rooney Critiques World Cup Final Half-Time Show: "I Thought It Was Crap"

FIFA wanted a Super Bowl moment. Wayne Rooney wanted the football back.

The first World Cup final half-time show, stretched out to an 11‑minute spectacle in New Jersey, landed with a thud for one of England’s greatest forwards, who branded it “crap” live on air.

The interval of Spain vs Argentina at MetLife Stadium ballooned from the usual 15 minutes to more than 27 as a star‑studded cast took over the pitch. Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, BTS and a parade of Muppets and Sesame Street characters were all thrown into the mix, under the direction of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

The fireworks, though, didn’t reach Rooney.

Working as a BBC pundit alongside Joe Hart and Micah Richards, the 40‑year‑old was asked by presenter Gabby Logan for his highlight of the show. He didn’t bother dressing it up.

“I’ll be honest, mine was when it finished,” he said. “I like a lot of them artists but I thought it was crap.

“It just didn’t get me going and I wanted the football to come back on. I like Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira, but that was too flat.”

Richards, more taken by the spectacle, picked out Shakira and Nigerian star Burna Boy as his standout acts and couldn’t resist a jab at his former Manchester City and England team‑mate, calling Rooney “miserable” for his blunt verdict. Logan, coming back in after a BBC promo, quipped: “I’ll tell you what else you get on the BBC: honest reviews.”

Honest was one word for it. Brutal was another.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had first unveiled the plan for a showpiece half-time event in March last year, selling it as a landmark moment for the sport. Curated by Martin, the production leaned heavily into American-style entertainment culture, mirroring the NFL’s Super Bowl, where the mid-game performance has become as famous as the contest itself.

This one had all the ingredients. Madonna was driven onto the pitch by Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. South Korean giants BTS performed. Global pop royalty lined up alongside children’s TV icons in a mash-up that looked designed to please every demographic in the stadium.

The reaction on the pundits’ sofas told a different story.

On ITV, Roy Keane delivered a cooler, if still underwhelmed, assessment. “It was a bit of an anti-climax, but I think the people in the stadium probably enjoyed it more than us,” he said, before adding with a wry smile: “But it’s always nice to see Shakira.”

If the football purists were restless, FIFA pointed to a wider purpose. The show supported the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise 100 million US dollars to expand access to education and football for children around the world. For the governing body, the World Cup final stage was the ultimate shop window.

The glitz started long before kick-off. A packed closing ceremony rolled out a conveyor belt of celebrities and performers: Hollywood star Tom Cruise, pop singer Robbie Williams and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson all appeared. Nicole Scherzinger, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and streamer IShowSpeed took their turns, as did Post Malone and rapper Swae Lee.

By the time the players finally re-emerged for the second half, the World Cup had taken a clear step towards the American model of game-day entertainment.

Whether that’s what football actually wants, Rooney’s reaction made brutally clear.